College Profile
Among all public colleges and universities in Pennsylvania, Penn State Behrend ranks among the top six in graduation rate, first-year student retention rate, SAT scores, student-to-faculty ratio, and full-time faculty percentage, based on data published by U.S. News & World Report.
According to the 2007 University-wide student survey, Penn State Behrend students were the most satisfied in the university with their academic experience, quality of teaching, quality of courses, quality of lab/classroom facilities, use of technology in classes, opportunities to meet with faculty outside of the classroom, opportunity to participate in an independent research project with a faculty member, and opportunity to participate in a Penn State approved co-op, internship, or student teaching experience. If starting college again, 83% of Behrend students would choose Penn State again, and 85.4% would specifically choose Behrend.
In a recent survey of graduating seniors, 93 percent said they would recommend Penn State Behrend to a friend considering college.
The 725-acre wooded campus of Penn State Behrend has more than 175 species of trees and is recognized as an arboretum by the American Public Gardens Association.
At 160,000 square feet, the new Research and Economic Development Center (REDC) houses the Black School of Business and the School of Engineering. This unique business and engineering partnership has gained national recognition and was highlighted in the ASEE PRISM magazine.
Black School of Business
The Black School of Business' M.B.A. program is listed in U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Graduate Schools 2007" and in Princeton Review's "The Best 282 Business Schools." It is accredited by AACSB International, the premier accrediting agency for schools of business.
Penn State Behrend is one of the few schools that offer SAP certification to qualifying students. SAP is an enterprise resource planning software package used by more than 13,000 companies worldwide. Based on a Central Michigan University study, the average starting salary of SAP-certified graduates was $5,250 greater than non-SAP graduates.
School of Engineering
All programs in the School of Engineering are accredited by ABET, the recognized accrediting agency of college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology. ABET accreditation demonstrates a programs commitment to providing its students with a quality education.
The Plastics Engineering Technology degree program, housed in the largest academic plastics processing lab in the country, is one of only four in the United States that is accredited by ABET.
Penn State Behrend’s Software Engineering program is the only such program in Penn State, and is the only such program in Pennsylvania accredited by ABET.
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
The B.F.A. in Creative Writing is one of only two B.F.A. programs in creative writing in Pennsylvania and the six surrounding states.
The Psychology program recently moved into the newly renovated Turnbull building. The facility includes several research labs, including the Cognitive Neuroscience lab, the Perception lab, the Cognitive lab, and the Applied Research lab.
Music at Noon: The Logan Series, a free noontime performance series at Penn State Behrend has been honored with a Chamber Music America/American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (CMA/ASCAP) 2005 Award for Adventurous Programming.
School of Science
The Chemistry program at Penn State Behrend is approved by the American Chemical Society, one of only 619 such programs in the country.
The Center for Mathematical Biology at Penn State Behrend offers the nation’s only National Science Foundation-funded undergraduate summer research program in mathematical biology.
Nursing Program
Penn State Behrend launched its Nursing program in the fall of 2007 with a state of the art Nursing Technology Lab and Simulation Center, the largest lab simulation center in Northwestern Pennsylvania. Receiving over $500,000 in funding support, the lab serves as an academic learning center for nursing students and other health care practitioners in the greater Erie community. The Nursing program is fully accredited by the National League for Nursing and the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.
Outreach Activities
Penn State Behrend hosts an annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Accomplishments Conference, which has become a model for institutions across the country. The college spends more than $200,000 annually on programs that encourage and support undergraduate research.
Penn State Behrend is home to Pennsylvania Sea Grant, a steadily growing program that promotes the ecological and economic sustainability of Pennsylvania’s coastal resources through science-based research, education, and outreach.
Knowledge Park, a 200-acre research and development area adjacent to Penn State Behrend, provides internship and job opportunities for students to work with knowledge-based companies.
The Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Center of Excellence at Penn State Behrend is one of only a handful of such programs in the nation. This center educates students and serves the business community with research and technology transfer into this emerging technology.
Student Athletes
Penn State Behrend has won the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Presidents Cup six of the seven times it has been awarded. The cup is awarded annually to the member school with the strongest overall athletics’ program.
The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference has regularly recognized over 100 Penn State Behrend student-athletes yearly with Academic All-Conference Honors.
For the past three years, Penn State Behrend has inducted 28 student-athletes into the National Athlete Honor Society.
Penn State Behrend Athletic Department regular participates in community service projects. In 2007-08, an effort has been put forth to assist Habitat for Humanity with their ongoing efforts in the City of Erie.
FACULTY SUPERLATIVES
Syed Saad Andaleeb, professor of Marketing, Zachary Irwin, associate professor of Political Science, Ralph Ford, director of the School of Engineering, Kenneth Louie, associate professor of Economics, and John Champagne, associate professor of English, are Fulbright scholars. Saad Andaleeb has received three Fulbright grants.
For three of the last five years, faculty members from Penn State Behrend have received the University-wide Teaching Fellow Award, selected from among 4,000 Penn State colleagues: Jim Kurre, associate professor of Economics, Greg Morris, professor of English, and Rob Speel, associate professor of Political Science.
Leigh-Ann Bedal, lecturer in Anthropology, has played a prominent role in the excavation of Petra, a new “Seventh Wonder of the World.”
Eric Corty, associate professor of Psychology, recently had his textbook Using and Interpreting Statistics win Book of the Year honors from the American Journal of Nursing.
Roz Fornari, head women’s basketball coach, achieved her 250th career victory during the 2007-08 season. Her teams have competed in both the ECAC and NCAA Tournaments during her tenure as our coach.
Roger Knacke, director of the Penn State Behrend School of Science, has an asteroid named after him in honor of his body of work in astronomy.
William Lasher, associate professor of mechanical engineering, is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).
Dave Niland, head men’s basketball coach, has been named the AMCC Coach of the Year six times, a league record. For the past 10 years, his teams have played in either the ECAC or NCAA tournaments. His current team is ranked #1 in Team Defense in the country for NCAA Division III teams. He achieved his 250th win during the 2007-08 season.
Tom Noyes, assistant professor of Creative Writing, recently sold Hollywood film rights for his first book.
Dan Perritano, head men’s soccer coach, achieved his 300th career victory during the 2007 season. His men’s team qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in 2007.
John Roth, associate professor of Mechanical Engineering, received the 2006 Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award from the Society for Manufacturing Engineers (SME).
Mark Steensland, lecturer in Media Production, was invited to show one of his short films at the Cannes Film Festival.
